Machine for folding fabric.



H. BARKER, J. DEAN, P. GRANDAGE & L. JACKSON.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING FABRIC.

APPLIOATION FILED IEB.11, 1908.

UNTTET) %TATE% PATENT UFT TCE.

HERBERT BARKER, JOSEPH DEAN, PHILIP GRANDAGE, AND LUTHER JACKSON, 0]? MANNING-HAM, BRADFORD, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1908.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911. Serial No. 415,453.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT BARKER, Josnrrr DEAN, and PHILIP GRANDAGE, sub jects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Globe l/Vorks, Manningham, Bradford, in the county of York, England, and lm'rrina JACKSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at T4; Fairbank road, Manningham, Bradford, in the county of York, England, have invented a certain new and useful Machine for Folding Fabric, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in plait-ing or folding machines, used for folding cloth and the like, and consists in improvements in that class of machine described and illustrated in British specification, No. 10350 of the 3rd of May, 1906, and has for its object the arra'mgen'ient and construction of a simple and el'licient machine, whereby the cloth or the like may be readily folded and one adjustment of the machine be snllicient for varying lengths of folds of cloth.

.ln describing our invention in detail, ref erence is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, similar letters indicating simi lar parts, in which,

I igure 1 represents a general View of the machine fitted with our improvement. Figs. 9, 8, and 4, are details of the grippers and operating device hereinafter referred to. Figs. 5, (5 and 7 represent diagrammatically the path followed by the cloth during the folding operation.

In carrying out our invention, the folding blades F are carried at one extremity of an operating arm A, which is pivoted to ward its other extremity by means of a slot A and pin A in such a manner that the arm may rise and fall in order to insure a parallel motion of the folding blades. The operating arm A is given the desired motion by means of a suitable crank C, or other convenient 111%11'18.

The folding blades 1* are preferably carried on a stud or small shaft S passing into or toward one extremity of the operating arm A, and adjacent to the said arm and mounted on the stud is a guide bowl B.

Mounted on the machine frame and in contact with the guide bowl is a guide bar B such bar being placed above the before mentioned stud or shaft. At the other end of the stud or shaft is mounted a small flanged or like pulley l which bears on a machined face M of the machine frame, and between the said bowl and pulley is mounted the bracket ll carrying the fold ing blades. The extreme end of the shaft 01' stud S carries a leather or like covered roller L, (Fig. 2), which serves to operate the grippers (Jr, the sliding portion (i of the grippers having attached thereto by means of slot l0 and pin 1), one end of a bell crank lover I), such lever being pivoted to an extension 1.) of the lixed part (i of the grippers, or in any other convenient manner. The other end l) of the lever l) is turned toward the operating arm, and such end is formed with a suitable taper, (Figs. 1, 3, and 4.). As will be seen from llig. l the lever l) is bent so that its upper end lies beyond the end of the gripper (i so that the roller T1 may contact with the upper end of the lever I) without interfering with the gripper (it. As the covered roller l1 comes in contact with this lever, the upper end thereof is forced back and the lower end raised, and the grippers raised by means of the stud l5 and slot ll), (llig. 3). The construction of the grippers (l is otherwise substantially the same as that described in the before mentioned specification, a spring or springs S returning the grip per to its down position as soon as the covered roller has released the bell crank lover I). The grippers are adjustable as to distance apart.

In order to turn first one :t'ohling blade F and then the other toward their respective grippers G, as the folding arm A travels backward and forward, the bracket F carrying the blades 1* is 'nfovidcd with an arm or extension ll, prm ided with a slot Il and mounted on the top bar K or frame of the machine is another slotted arm 1n the slot H in the first mentioned slotted arm or extension H, is placed a sliding bush J, and a pin or stud J passes from this bush into the slot of the other slotted arm N, and thus the motion of the operating arm causes the folding blades to turn first toward one gripper and then toward the other.

The path taken by the cloth during the folding operation is shown .in Figs. 5, (3 and 7, in which 1.9 represents the cloth, 1* the folding blades, and G the grippers. l i g. 5 shows the path of the cloth when commencing to fold, the folding blades F traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 6 represents the folding blades F delivering the cloth to the right hand set of grippers which are being raised in the manner described in the specification, for the purpose of gripping the cloth. As the blades travel in the opposite direction the cloth will be retained in position by the falling of the grippers, as indicated in Fig. 7, the folding blades traveling across the machine and delivering the cloth to the grippers shown at the left of the drawing.

The folding table instead of being carried centrally on one arm, may be carried from all four corners, and operated to rise and fall as desired, by means of counterpoised weights or the like.

The operation of the table is as follows: A pawl 1 is attached to the machine frame and engages a ratchet wheel 2, mounted upon a shaft 3, which also carries a pulley f and a hand Wheel 5, the shaft 6 carrying a series of pulleys 7 is also secured to the machine frame. Attached to one or more of the pulleys 7 are chains, cords or the like 8, to which weights 9 are attached. Nlounted upon the frame in suitable positions are pulleys 10, ll, 12, 13 and 14:. A chain, cord or the like 15 is secured to a pulley 4 which passes around pulleys 11, 12 and 13 and is finally secured to one of the balanced pulleys 7. Attached to the table 16, preferably at each corner thereof, are downwardly extending brackets 17 to which are attached chains,

cords or the like 18 which pass over pulleys 10 and 14% and are secured to the balanced pulleys 7, there being, of course, a chain and pulley for each bracket. If it is required to bring the table into contact with the grippers G, to'commence folding, the pawl 1 is removed from engagement with the ratchet wheel 2, thereby allowing the weights 9 to revolve the pulleys 7 in a direction which will raise the table. If it is desired to lower the table, the hand wheel 5 is turned in the direction of the arrow, which operation takes the weight from olf the pulleys so that the table will fall slowly by its own weight.

What we claim as our invention is A cloth folding machine comprising a folding blade carrier, a vertical arm connected to said carrier at its upper end, means for moving the upper end of the said arm in a horizontal plane, a guide bar B on the machine frame, a track M on said frame, a guide bowl B connected to the vertical arm and engaging the bar B a pulley P connected to the vertical arm and engaging the track M, a roller L connected to said vertical arm, and grippers operated by said roller L. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT BARKER. JOSEPH DEAN. PHILIP GRANDAGE. LUTHER JACKSON.

Witnesses JOSEPH P. KIRBY, A. N. PLATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

